We’ve been taking a look at some of the easy fundraising ideas being advertised by various cancer charities this summer and picked out 5 that will suit different personalities, so there’s no excuse not to pick the one that’s right for you and get fundraising!

You’ve just missed the boat for the official Cancer Research UK BBQ weekend, but that doesn’t mean you can’t host your own belated fundraising BBQ! Check out the page for details and ideas and get grilling.

3) I Am A Social Butterfly!

Are you the type who likes getting a crowd in, putting the kettle on, and having a natter? Consider hosting a coffee morning for Macmillan this September and contribute towards this wonderful cancer care charity.

4) I Am The Active Type!

There are a LOT of fundraising runs and races that you can get involved with, and there is bound to be one in your local area. Getting sponsored to take part in a race is a great way to raise money and get yourself fit at the same time! Macmillan is also running a whole host of active fundraising cycling and swimming events that you could look into.

5) I Am The Not-So-Active Type!

If you don’t fancy working up a full sweat, there are plenty of charity walks that you could also look into. Or – why not work up a sweat and take on one of the harder challenges above, if you dare?!

If you conduct a quick Google search, you will get literally hundreds of fundraising ideas. Consider doing something with your family or workmates to make a difference this summer!

And get in touch with us on thewaitpoetryanthology@hotmail.co.uk if you’re a poet with a desire to get published for a great cause!

Hello there! Thought I’d type up a little something to explain where the title for The Wait came from, and share my experience with the horror that the anthology is in aid of fighting.

So, nearly a year ago, my father took me into the kitchen, and we stood by the kettle (a spot often occupied in our family home). He was wearing one of his Harris tweed jackets (I forget which one) and his hair was grey, or more of a silver streaked with black (he’s since dyed it – ‘because f**k it’, which is frequently the best reason to do anything). He told me that my mother had to go back into hospital, following some tests to check for evidence of Marfan syndrome (fun fact – it’s very possible Abe Lincoln had this). However, whoever Marfan was, they had nothing to do with the next visit to the…

Stephen Sutton was a teenager suffering from terminal cancer who could have retreated into himself and lived his last few months quietly. But he showed more bravery than many of us could ever dream of when he faced his condition head-on, and turned his story into an internet phenomenon that netted cancer charities literally millions of pounds in donations.

It all started with Stephen’s Facebook page about his journey as he pursued the items on his ‘Bucket List’. Interest from the internet community grew, Stephen’s blog skyrocketed, and the website stephensstory.co.uk was born. He achieved amazing and exciting things – he got a tattoo, skydived, visited CERN, and was an extra on Doctor Who. However, his first item was fundraising for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

The Final Total

It’s still rising. He smashed his original aim of £10,000, and raised the target to £1m…which he then beat by over 400%. The current total is £4.23m. There’s no way of calculating how much the ‘real’ total is, in terms of the people who have been inspired to pursue their own projects.

Social Media

Stephen’s story started on Facebook. Thousands of people ‘liked’ his page within days of him setting it up, and we’re raising awareness in the same way with ‘The Wait’ Facebook page.

We’re not expecting to reach anywhere close to Stephen’s success (he got an MBE..! We don’t deserve an MBE!!) but we’ve been inspired by his story. What a dude. It shows what how having a good idea and putting in some serious elbow grease can capture the imaginations of the internet community. It gives you faith that we can club together and do something good.

Our Fundraising

We’re raising money for Cancer Research UK by compiling an anthology of poetry. We need as many submissions as possible to make it a success. If you’re not sure how poetic you are, have a look at our Advice for Poets blogsand get scribbling for cancer.

On the menu to the left, you’ll find the dedications wall and the submissions page – please have a peek at them both and consider submitting something!

We’re fundraising for Cancer Research UK by compiling a charity anthology called ‘The Wait’. We’ve had no marketing investment, so we’re having to raise all the awareness organically using social media in order to collect poetry submissions and raise awareness.

You Are SO Powerful!

If every person who sees this liked and shared it with their friends, it would reach an astonishing amount of people. But not everybody believes that their shares matter, so we’ve compiled a list of social media success stories to demonstrate the power you have and the difference you can make.

Stephen Sutton

Stephen sadly passed away recently, but not before his fundraising adventures, which he chronicled and promoted using his blog and Facebook page, smashed his original target of £10,000. The current count is at just over £4.2m.

Viral Videos

Do we even have to give you specific examples?! Think baby pandas sneezing, think Rickrolling, think Harlem Shake!

Brands

Existing brands of all sizes have found success on social media platforms. Dove’s real beauty campaign aimed to boost the confidence of women worldwide. It also got their logo posted everywhere, for free. There are also plenty of smaller companies who have successfully used their social media to help grow their business into a larger empire –Innocentjuices being a great example (and a favourite of ours…yummy)

Our point really is that if it’s possible to reach millions of people in the name of nice smelling armpits and cute baby pandas, could you help us reach just a few hundred with our creative, easy fundraising message? Pretty please?

Cancer Research UK supports the work of over 4000 scientists, doctors and nurses. Their work ranges from deep research into the biology of human cells (that frankly is beyond our humble understanding) to running clinical trials of new drugs. Every breakthrough adds something to the bank of knowledge they have, with the view to one of these geniuses one day having their ultimate ’Eureka!’ moment.

Quality of Life

The cure is, of course, the ultimate aim. But along the way, Cancer Research has discovered ways to prolong and improve the quality of life of those suffering with cancer. Survival rates have doubled in 40 years, and we think that’s pretty spiffing.

Fundraising

This charity receives no government funding, and so relies entirely on donations or projects like this one to keep it going.

Ripples

We’ve had no marketing investment, so we’re relying entirely on social media to spread the word. We’ve seen countless times how the ripples of social media have spread the word across the whole world about important things (like cat videos and that Luis Suarez Nandos advert)… so please like this blog and/or our Facebook page, and please share and spread the word.

If you want to get involved in a more direct, creative way, please consider submitting some poetry to us to be used in the anthology.